Put away your purse & become debt-averse

ladyholly

Queen Jess

I would think you gin should be ok. We inherited an open bottle of drambuie from my sister which came from my mother who died about 15 years before and my dh drank it with no ill effects. I had given it to her several years before she died.
We have recently been given other alcohol which is of unknown vintage which dh is working his way through. No gin but different whiskies and he hasn't found an undrinkable one yet.

foxgloves

@QueenJess - I've no idea how long one can keep gin.....I'd assume it has too high an alcohol content for much in the way of pathogens to grow in it, but I don't know. I suppose like everything else, I'd be wanting to see if it smells, looks & tastes ok.

Yes, I've probably posted a fruit gin recipe on here at some point, but no idea when. I usually work on the basic formula below, but I shouldn't think it's cast in tablets of stone.....I sometimes leave out the apple or pear & just use blackberries or you can use other fruits, or swap out the gin for vodka. Also, blackberry whisky is always welcomed as a festive gift by Mr F.
So basically, I shake together 300g granulated white sugar, 1 apple or 1 pear, peeled, cored & diced, 250g blackberries & 750ml gin & aim to leave it for around 3 months before straining & bottling it. That's it!
F

foxgloves

You're welcome, @Blackcats. I am finding the whole energy price chaos very unsettling & scary & I very much felt that I needed a plan. I did smile about you having lots of candles already. Of course you do....& so do I! Years ago, when I was living on my own in a flat on the outskirts of our nearest big city, there was a big unexpected snowfall one weekend & the power went off. It must have affected quite a bit of our region, as my parents, who lived in another part of the country had heard about the outages on the radio. That night, when the power had returned, my Mum phoned to see how I was. She said 'Oh, well when I heard that there were power cuts up your way, I just thought, she'll be ok, she's always got 100s of candles" ......& of course I was & I did! Just need to make sure I buy extra supplies of matches so I don't have to keep taking a flame from the gas hob. Just remember, @Blackcats, that stocking up on candles does not mean the expensive scented ones made but the woman who sounds as though she could be cousin to Molly Malone, lol!
F

foxgloves

@Humdinger1 - I wasn't being mindful in the moment when I was lying awake for a large swathe of last night with my insomniac brain turning over every possible worry & niggle possible.....plus half a dozen, I'm sure, that weren't! Round & round my mind went. I probably should have got up & gone & done more stuff with bloody tomatoes! Tomato therapy. I do live very seasonally though, because I like the natural cycle of things, so maybe it is my love of that which comes across as calming, I don't know. It is true that I can find enjoyment in simple things and I think that's an ok way to be, as I've come across a few people in life who sadly, I have thought will never find contentment.
Re the sea-change you mentioned. On a good day, it seems so close I can almost reach my hand out & touch it.......then I think of all the times I've been here before when it has turned out to be a mirage. Maybe, in the words of Twisted Sister, "We're not gonna take it anymore". I've not been "taking it for years", it's just all the others!
F 

@Suffolk_lass - I do feel better having some kind of plan, at least, on paper as we go into this chaotic winter. That tray of tomatoes did look pretty before it went into the oven to roast. The blitzed up fruits & juices make quite a runny sauce, but it is a flavoursome base for all sorts of things. I usually use it for pasta bakes, etc, but it can also go in the slow cooker with some chicken pieces or mince or whatever I fancy doing with it.
Loved the pantry photos on your diary btw. A walk-in pantry was one of the things the builders put in for us a couple of years ago when they started our renovations work. I'd always wanted one, esp as I'm like a squirrel this time of year, preserving & storing things for winter. Ours is a conversion of a horrid dank old understairs cupboard, so it slopes right down nearly to the floor at the back. They made a lovely job of it. My best friend said 'Oh, Foxglvoes, I could LIVE in here!", but she was quite stressed at the time, so may have just enjoyed shutting the door on the world & being surrounded by big jars of lentils, oats & pasta, etc!
F

foxgloves

@ladyholly - Had to smile at the thought of Mr LH working his way through assorted bottles of donated alcohol!
F

ladyholly

foxgloves said:

@ladyholly - Had to smile at the thought of Mr LH working his way through assorted bottles of donated alcohol!
F

Its a hard job but someone has to do it.

foxgloves

So today's small frugal wins:
*Rubber pork Day 3 - did a nice stir-fry & the chilli, spring onions, courgette, beans & pepper for it came from our own veggie garden, so felt both fresh & free.
* Todays garden pickings: All of the above plus additional courgettes & lettuce.
*Did a couple of surveys,
*Progressed seed-saving activities: Sweet-pea pods harvested & put to dry in the shed, also fennel seeds. I usually buy these for medicinal & curry-making purposes because my fennel plant, stately though it is, never has sufficient seed to make saving it worthwhile. This year, it's put out plenty, so I've cut the stems & put them headfirst into a large paper bag to dry. Also shook out the dried seeds from the lovely white mallow (gift from my Mum) which I thought I'd lost till it popped up this Spring, & put safely into a labelled envelope. This is facilitating some good 'shopping new seeds from home' opportunities for next spring. Partly doing this because I like the ritual of seed-saving & partly because I don't know what the state of our post-winter finances will be looking like by then, so am looking at all viable opportunities to save money, however small.
Well, the lovely Mr F has just asked me if I'd like a milky coffee & a biscuit, so I'm not going to look that little gift horse in the gob!
May need to do some more kitchen witchery tomorrow, as I can see windfall apples are building up again.
F x

Cheery_Daff

Ooh, no, you can't turn down a hot drink and a biscuit! 

Excellent seed saving there. We had a lovely fennel in our old tiny garden but haven't got one here - that used to put out lots of seeds too but I never did much with them. Must get hold of another one! (And some chives - I had load in the old garden but didn't bring them with me - every year I separated them and just grew more and more 😁)

Definitely having a garden re-plan over the winter here. I've had two years now where I've planted seeds then most stuff hasn't made it out of the greenhouse, or hasn't been harvested. I've got some perennial stuff but I think need to have a year establishing some more rather than running round trying to grow annual veg while we've still got DIY etc projects on the go - I just end up disappointed and cross at myself and that's no fun for anyone! 🙄

marionmgcars

I must remember to skin tomatoes as you mentioned, I made sauce last year but did not skin tomatoes- onward and upward 👍

Tescodealqueen

Loving your winter prep and rubber pork! I must admit I sometime struggle using up a joint or chicken as cooking it again in whatever form it Tastes slightly odd to me. And thank you I will be singing Twisted Sister all day now 😂